Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Gratin
Welcome to the 🗺️ Great Canadian Food Passport
📍 Stop #13 – Ontario
🍁 Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Gratin
If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving side dish that feels familiar but a little more special, this Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Gratin belongs on your holiday table. Thinly sliced sweet potatoes are layered with a creamy maple-thyme sauce, crispy bacon and sharp cheddar, then baked until tender and bubbling. The finishing touch is a buttery pecan topping that becomes golden and crunchy in the oven.
It’s sweet, savoury, creamy and crispy all at once—and unlike a traditional sweet potato casserole, there are no marshmallows needed.
This is the kind of Thanksgiving side dish that can sit right beside the turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce and still steal a little attention.
Why You’ll Love This Sweet Potato Gratin
- Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas
- A delicious sweet-and-savory combination
- Made with real Canadian maple syrup
- Crispy bacon adds a smoky, salty contrast
- Sharp cheddar adds richness
- Brown-butter pecans create an irresistible crunchy topping
- Can be assembled ahead of time
- Beautiful enough for a holiday table
- A great alternative to traditional sweet potato casserole
A Taste of Ontario
For Stop #13 of the Great Canadian Food Passport, we’re heading to Ontario.
Ontario’s harvest season gives us plenty of inspiration for a Thanksgiving dish like this. Sweet potatoes, maple syrup, herbs and pecans come together in a recipe that feels right at home on a Canadian fall table.
The maple isn’t there simply to make the sweet potatoes sweeter. It adds a subtle Canadian flavour that balances the smoky bacon, sharp cheddar and earthy thyme.
What Does Sweet Potato Gratin Taste Like?
This gratin has a delicious balance of flavours.
The sweet potatoes become tender and creamy while the maple syrup adds a subtle sweetness. Sharp cheddar cuts through the richness, crispy bacon adds smoky saltiness, and the brown-butter pecan topping gives every bite a little crunch.
It’s much more savoury than a traditional marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole.
Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
Yes—and this is one of the reasons it’s perfect for Thanksgiving.
Assemble the gratin completely, but leave off the pecan topping.
Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to bake, remove it from the refrigerator while the oven preheats.
Because the gratin starts cold, it may require an additional 10–15 minutes of covered baking time.
Prepare the pecan topping separately and add it during the final stage of bake
Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Gratin
Ingredients
- For the Sweet Potato Gratin
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp pure Canadian maple syrup
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
- For the Brown Butter Pecan Topping
- 3 tbsp butter
- ¾ cup pecans, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
- Pinch of salt
- For Garnish
- Fresh thyme
- Crispy bacon
- A light drizzle of maple syrup
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
How to Make Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Gratin
1. Prepare the Sweet Potatoes
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Slice the peeled sweet potatoes into very thin, even slices, approximately ⅛-inch thick.
A mandoline makes this much easier, but a sharp knife works too.
Try to keep the slices relatively uniform so they cook evenly.
2. Cook the Bacon
Add the diced bacon to a large skillet over medium heat.
Cook until crisp.
Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve approximately 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat in the skillet.
3. Cook the Onion and Garlic
Add the butter and reserved bacon fat to the skillet.
Add the diced onion and cook for approximately 4–5 minutes, until softened and lightly golden.
Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Remove from the heat.
4. Make the Maple Cream Sauce
In a saucepan, combine:
Heavy cream
Whole milk
Maple syrup
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Warm over medium-low heat until steaming but do not boil.
Whisk in the cooked onion and garlic mixture.
5. Layer the Gratin
Arrange approximately one-third of the sliced sweet potatoes in the prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle with approximately one-third of the cooked bacon and one-third of the shredded cheddar.
Pour over approximately one-third of the maple cream sauce. Repeat the layers twice more.
Finish with the remaining cheddar.
6. Cover and Bake
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue baking for another 20–25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender and the cream is bubbling around the edges.
7. Make the Brown Butter Pecan Topping
While the gratin is baking, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
Continue cooking until the butter becomes golden and smells nutty.
Add the chopped pecans and cook for approximately 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the panko, maple syrup, thyme and salt.
8. Add the Crunchy Topping
Once the sweet potatoes are tender, sprinkle the brown-butter pecan mixture evenly over the top.
Return the gratin to the oven uncovered for 8–10 minutes, until the topping is golden and crisp.
9. Rest Before Serving
Remove the gratin from the oven and allow it to rest for 10–15 minutes before serving.
This gives the creamy sauce time to settle and makes the gratin easier to portion.
Finish with fresh thyme, crispy bacon and a very light drizzle of maple syrup.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 473Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 15gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 433mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 5gSugar: 11gProtein: 13g
These calculations are based off Nutritionix